A Sermon (#561) Preached By William “Bill” Touchton
Edited & Preached By Michael D. Lawson
If you have your Bibles turn with me to Acts, Chapter 8. We are slowly but surely working our way through this book. Now, the church thus far has experienced supernatural growth. You will recall in the book of Matthew, Chapter 13 that Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom of God would start small, like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, and then it would grow into this massive tree, so large that the birds could build their nests in it.
Well, thus far, we have observed this supernatural growth. There were 120 – then 3000 were added in chapter 2, 5000 more were added in chapter 4, then multitudes were added in chapter 5, and in chapter 6 the church multiplied.
So they have experienced supernatural growth, but it’s all localized – so in chapter8 the church is scattered.
Now this scattering comes about through the process of pain…chapter 8, verse 1 says there was a great persecution.
Now listen to this: God will often use pain to enlarge His kingdom.
Yesterday Ron visited Mrs. Wills. He said, “God may have you in here to witness to these people.” I visited her this morning and she said, “Tell Brother Ron I got a chance to witness.”
Today I visited Mrs. Carroll (Rosie Smith’s mother) and we had a chance to talk about how a person is saved, and the peace of God, and on the other side of a curtain was another patient who sat as quiet as a mouse, and who knows what God is going to do in her life.
Mrs. Taylor introduced us to her roommate last night…and so we shared about the goodness of God and prayed together. I also prayed for her roommate, and who knows what God will do with that.
So, God will often use pain to expand his Kingdom.
So let’s look at this chapter and watch as the church begins to spread to the world.
8.5-8 – Overtime God works there is joy. I know of nothing more satisfying than to see God work.
“sorcery” – magic
“bewitched” – amazed
8.10 – This man uses the power of God.
8.10-16 – Here was a man who appeared to be saved…
He believed…He was baptized…He continued…
The apostles had an unusual power, when they laid hands on people, they were healed…set free..some spoke with other languages.
He thought he was saved, but Peter assures him he was not. He wasn’t interested in repentance of sin, He wanted Christianity for what he could get out of it.
Several years ago, a young lady showed up for church. Ken preached and on the invitation, she came down crying, saying she wanted to get right with God…She said, my husband’s in the Navy. I have had an affair, and I am afraid I have AIDS. I want to get right with God. I said, Do you want to do this because you grieve over your sin and want to repent, or are you doing this because you want God to save you from AIDS? She said I want to repent…Two weeks later, she came, said the test was negative. I’ve never seen her again.
A man comes in…I had tried to win him to the Lord a year earlier. He wasn’t interested. Trouble came up with his home life. He and his wife separated. He wanted to be saved…Why? Sin against God? He quickly found another woman and never came back.
Were these people truly saved? No!
Jesus came to save us from our sins! Not AIDS. Not divorce. Not even hell.
God knows our hearts and motives. He will not be used.
8.26-28 – The Ethiopian eunuch was respectful, religious, and restless, but he came to Jerusalem and went away lost.
How could that happen?
- They were exclusive.
- They were empty.
But we see a providential meeting here.
God puts us in these situations all the time.
God may use:
- Pain
- Persecution
- Providence
To spread his gospel.